Appeal for Redress

From: Appeal for Redress

I am writing to engage you on the Active Duty military project, a movement that will help end the occupation in Iraq and bring our love ones home.
The Active Duty military project is an initiative led by active duty service members and supported by veteran peace organizations including Military Families Speak Out (MSO).
Department of Defense regulation 7050.6, the Military Whistleblower Act, gives all of our service members the right to send a protected communication to a member of Congress.
This project is geared towards mobilizing appeals for redress from our service members in the United States and deployed/stationed throughout the world.
Our immediate goal is the mobilization of five to ten-thousand appeals for redress from active-duty military to be sent to members of Congress who support our cause. Our project will culminate with a formal appeal to our government during the national
celebration of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.
We are asking you to share this project with your love one and ask them to file an appeal. The appeal is private and will not be shared publicly. We can put you in touch with the active duty organizers on the ground in Norfolk, VA to share more details with you.
Go to Appeal for Redress to learn more about the project and to file an appeal. If you wish for your loved one to file a hard copy appeal, contact Opio Sokoni HERE.

Many active duty, reserve, and guard service members are concerned about the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to their member of Congress to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The Appeal will reach thousands of service members who seek redress from the war. The Appeal messages will be delivered to members of Congress on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January 2007.
The wording of the Appeal for Redress is short and simple. It is patriotic and respectful in tone:
“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”
The Appeal lists these grievances:
• The fabricated justification for war (nonexistent weapons of mass destruction)
• The failure to provide troops adequate protection and preparation for combat
• The human cost in thousands of deaths and severe injuries among American service members
• The cost to American taxpayers and diversion of resources from other priorities (inadequate response to Katrina, etc.)
Several organizations have come together to form a support committee to assist active duty service members. The organizations include Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Military Families Speak Out. The committee serves at the discretion of active duty service members.
The Appeal for Redress will circulate initially among active duty service members in communities near military bases, beginning in Norfolk and Quantico. The Appeal will also circulate on the Internet through a web site with sign-on function to facilitate service member participation. An Internet message with the Appeal will be sent to thousands of individual service members, who will be encouraged to forward the message to others, in the hope that it goes viral.
Attorneys and counselors experienced in military law have been contacted to provide assistance for any service members who encounter interference with their right to communicate with members of Congress. Participating service members will receive a fact sheet describing the rights and restrictions that apply to the exercise of First Amendment rights in the military.
Members of Congress are being asked to encourage and
support the Appeal through a statement that reads:
“We respect and welcome this initiative from our brave men and women in uniform. We look forward to receiving the Appeals and sharing your important perspectives with colleagues in the Congress.”
Professional public relations assistance will be available to expose any interference with service member rights that occurs and to ensure that the Appeal for Redress attracts press attention at the time of delivery.
September 2006
Appeal for Redress, P.O. Box 53052, Washington, DC 20009-3052 Phone: 360-241-1414 • E-Mail
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As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq. Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.
Name _____________________ Date _______/________/____________
Nonmilitary Email _____________________________@______________________
Duty station _______________________ Home zip code _______________________
Duty status:
Active Duty _____ Active Reserve or Guard _____ Inactive Reserve or Guard _____
Have you served in the Iraq theater?
Yes _______ No _______
Service Branch:
Navy _____ Army _____ Marines ______ Air Force _____ Coast Guard _____
Rank: __________ Signature _______________________________________
Nature of Grievance:
• The fabricated justification for war (nonexistent weapons of mass destruction)
• The failure to provide troops adequate protection and preparation for combat
• The human cost in thousands of deaths and severe injuries among American service members
• The economic cost to American taxpayers and diversion of resources from other priorities (inadequate response to Katrina, etc.)
The information submitted will be sent to members of Congress and the Senate. The information you supply to Appeal for Redress will not be released to any other person or organization.
Complete and sign form and return to: Appeal for Redress, P.O. Box 53052, Washington, DC 20009-3052